Converter comprising a carrying structure that is open on one side or can be divided

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a bearing arrangement for supporting a converter in a horseshoe-shaped carrying structure and provides for accommodation of any shifts caused by thermal expansion of the converter vessel and the carrying structure, respectively, as well as easy assembly owing to automatic alignment means. According to the invention, pin-end lugs fixed to the converter are axially slidably and angularly displaceably received in bearing bridge members secured to the carrying structure and containing a bushing and a spherical slide bearing, each bridge member being provided with wedge-shaped alignment projections effective in the direction of said pin and cooperating with corresponding wedge-shaped recesses in the carrying structure.

United States Patent l 13,632,098

[72] Inventor Othmar Puhringer 457,843 8/1891 Sawyer 308/74 Linz, Austria 2,836,470 5/1958 Sheppard 308/74 [21] Appl. No. 862,275 2,976,090 3/1961 McFeaters.... 266/36 P [22] Filed Sept. 30,1969 3,307,841 3/1967 Lixenfeld 266/36 P [45] Patented Jan. 4, 1972 3,348,834 10/1967 Stafford et a1. 266/36 P [73] Assignee Vereinigte Osterreichische Eisen-und 3,430,941 3/1969 Lambrecht et al 266/36 P StahlwerkeAktiengesellschaIt FOREIGN PATENTS [32] Priority g 'fgffggg 36,426 8/1886 Germany 266/35 [33] Austria Primary Examiner-Gerald A. Dost [31] A 9810/68 Att0rneyBrumbaugh, Graves, Donohue & Raymond [54] CONVERTER COMPRISING A CARRYING ABSTRACT: This invention relates to a bearing arrangement STRUCTURE THAT IS OPEN ON ONE SIDE OR for supporting a converter in a horseshoe-shaped carrying CAN BE DIVIDED structure and provides for accommodation of any shifts 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs. caused by thermal expansion of the converter vessel and the [52] US. Cl 266/36 P carrying Structure respectively as easy F 308/74 owing to automatic alignment means. According to the inven- 51 Int. Cl C21C 5/50 pln'end lugs fixed converter are axially Slldably 50 Field of Search 266/35, 36 and angularly displaceably celled healing bidge 308/74 bers secured to the carrying structure and containing a bushing and a spherical slide bearing, each bridge member being [56] Ref r Cit d provided with wedge-shaped alignment projections etfective UNITED STATES PATENTS in the direction of said pin and cooperating with correspond- 39 364 7/1963 Wilson 266/35 ing wedge-shaped recesses in the carrying structure.

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CONVERTER COMPRISING A CARRYING STRUCTURE THAT IS OPEN ON ONE SIDE OR CAN BE DIVIDED In the US. Pat. No. 3,430,941 a converter is described which comprises a carrying structure that is open on one side or can be divided, and which is characterized in that bushings (eyes) are provided on those claws which are affected by the thermal expansion of the vessel or of the carrying structure, and that said bushings (eyes) are adapted to be secured to the carrying structure to connect the same to the converter vessel while permitting of a limited relative movement of the claws on the carrying structure. The construction serves to compensate changes in the shape and position of the converter vessel occurring after a series of heats while preventing squeeze forces from arising.

The present invention relates to a further embodiment and improvement of the bearing construction according to the above patent, by which mounting of the converter into the carrying structure which, when transfer vessels are used, has to be carried out rather frequently, is facilitated and can be carried out more quickly.

It is a special object of the invention to create a construction in which the bearing elements arranged on the claw pins of the converter automatically and without time-consuming fitting procedures assume mounting position, i.e. automatically get into alignment with the engagement elements in the carrying structure.

According to the invention this object is achieved in that the eyes are provided with wedge-shaped alignment projections which are effective in the direction of the claw pins, said projections engaging in corresponding wedge-shaped recesses in the carrying structure. The wedges are effective not only in the direction of the pin axes but are also able to offset small angular deviations in the horizontal plane.

Advantageously the claw pins are mounted to be axially displaceable and self-aligning via a ball seat in a bushing having a cylindrical outer surface and rigidly connected with the eye. Owing to the cylindrical design of the bushing, self-alignment is achieved perpendicularly of the line of application of the wedge-shaped projections, i.e. transversely to the pin axis; the axial displaceability of the pins and the rocker bearing furthermore affords the possibility to accommodate displacements or distortions in any direction, occurring during operation.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the eyes are connected to the carrying structure by means of screws which are hinged to the carrying structure and rotatable into locking position when the eye is in the aligned position.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood an embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. I shows a ground plan of a converter being inserted into a composite carrying structure that is open on one side;

FIG. 2 shows a sectional view along the line IIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a claw pin, the bushing with eye being mounted thereon;

FIG. 4 shows a vertical sectional view of the claw pin.

In FIG. I numeral 1 denotes the converter vessel, and the carrying structure that is open on one side is denoted by 2. 3, 3 are the claws situated near the open side and 3" denotes the claw in the crown of the arch of the carrying structure. 4 is the fixed bearing and 4 is the expansion bearing of the carrying structure.

FIG. 2 shows the bearing arrangement of the claw 3 on the carrying structure 2. The claw pin 5 is encased in a bushing 6 having a cylindrical outer surface, said bushing being inserted into a likewise cylindrical socket 7 on the carrying structure 2. The bushing 6 is rigidly connected by screws 8 with an eye 9. The eye is provided at its bottom ends with wedge-shaped alignment projections 10 effective in the axial direction of the claw pin 5, said projections engaging in corresponding wedgeshaped recesses 11 on the carrying structure 2. The connection of the eye 9 with the carrying structure 2 is achieved by means of screws 12 which are hinged to the carrying structure.

In the aligned position of the bearin elements these screws are rotated into recesses 13 arrange on the two sides of the eye 9. Suitably two screws 12 each are arranged on the two sides of the eye 9, the recesses 13 for the screws being illustrated in FIG. 3. This Figure also shows the design of the alignment projections I0 with the two alignment surfaces 10' and 10'.

In FIG. 4 the bearing arrangement of the claw pin 5 in the bushing 6 is shown in section. A rocker bearing comprising an outer ring 14 and an inner ring 15 is fitted in the bushing. The inner ring is provided at its outside with a ball surface, which, for compensating angular displacements of the pin 5, may slide in a corresponding spherical seat in the outer ring. For setting off axial displacements of the pin, the pin is slidably received in the inner ring. The outer ring 14 is fixed in the bushing 6 by means of a fixing sleeve 16. Sealing of the bearing is achieved by sealing rings 17, 18. To facilitate mounting a bolt 19 is inserted into the bushing 6, said bolt engaging into a corresponding groove 20 of the claw pin 5. Thus it is prevented that, when the converter is lifted out of the carrying ring, the bushing turns downward together with the eye owing to the weight of the eye and has to be specially held when the converter is reinserted into the carrying structure.

What I claim is:

l. A converter assembly comprising a converter vessel, a substantially horseshoe-shaped carrying structure, a plurality of lug pins rigidly mounted on said converter vessel and connecting the vessel to said carrying structure, bearing bridge members engaging said lug pins and secured to said carrying structure, and means within each of said bearing bridge members to permit movement of said lug pins relative to said carrying structure, each of said bearing bridge members being provided with wedge-shaped alignment projections which are effective in the direction of the axis of said lug pins, and said carrying structure provided with wedge-shaped recesses corresponding to said wedgeshaped alignment projections for engagement therewith.

2. The converter assembly set forth in claim I wherein said means within each of said bearing bridge members comprises a spherical slide bearing in a bushing having a cylindrical outer surface so as to be axially displaceable and self-aligning, said bushing being rigidly connected to its corresponding bearing bridge member.

3. The converter assembly set forth in claim I wherein each of said bearing bridge members is connected to said carrying structure by screws hinged to said carrying structure and 'rotatable into and out of engagement with corresponding recesses in said bridge members. 

1. A converter assembly comprising a converter vessel, a substantially horseshoe-shaped carrying structure, a plurality of lug pins rigidly mounted on said converter vessel and connecting the vessel to said carrying structure, bearing bridge members engaging said lug pins and secured to said carrying structure, and means within each of said bearing bridge members to permit movement of said lug pins relative to said carrying structure, each of said bearing bridge members being provided with wedgeshaped alignment projections which are effective in the direction of the axis of said lug pins, and said carrying structure provided with wedge-shaped recesses corresponding to said wedgeshaped alignment projections for engagement therewith.
 2. The converter assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein said means within each of said bearing bridge members comprises a spherical slide bearing in a bushing having a cylindrical outer surface so as to be axially displaceable anD self-aligning, said bushing being rigidly connected to its corresponding bearing bridge member.
 3. The converter assembly set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said bearing bridge members is connected to said carrying structure by screws hinged to said carrying structure and rotatable into and out of engagement with corresponding recesses in said bridge members. 